What are the recruitment and training challenges for "Studies" roles in the construction industry?

Faced with the profound ecological, digital and regulatory changes transforming the sector, this study reveals professions that have become essential for the technical and economic control of construction sites, but which are now confronted with major recruitment and training challenges.

Overview of the "studies" function in construction companies in 2025

The "studies" function encompasses all the professions involved in: defining technical solutions, producing plans, establishing measurements and cost estimates, and preparing for the execution of construction projects (BIM managers, project managers, design draftsmen, surveyors, quantity surveyors, technicians, design engineers, etc.). These tasks can be carried out by dedicated professionals within the company, by other employees depending on the internal organization, or outsourced to an external design office.

By 2025, the Construction Industry Observatory estimates that 92.000 employees will be working in "studies" roles within the construction sector. Specifically, this represents 58.320 employees in the Building sector (5,2% of the workforce), with an even stronger presence in the Public Works sector, accounting for 33.700 employees (10,2% of the workforce).

The study identifies several key criteria to explain the presence of these professions in companies:

• The first criterion is company size: companies with 10 or more employees frequently have dedicated roles; beyond 20, this is almost always the case. In companies without a dedicated position, the role is very often filled by the manager (75%), and more than a third estimate they devote half their working time to it (37%).
• The second criterion is the type of activity of the company: indeed, technical finishing work and structural work in Building and Public Works activities require more studies with a strong technical dimension compared to finishing work activities (excluding measurement and cost estimation).
• To a lesser extent, belonging to a group (21%) and the location of the company in urban areas (47%) also influence the presence or absence of jobs dedicated to the "research" function.

Finally, companies indicate that they prefer to internalize these areas of expertise, which they consider very strategic, for several reasons such as controlling costs, deadlines and margins, or guaranteeing the maintenance of mandatory technical skills.

Evolution of employment, skills and training needs for the "research" function by 2030

Despite the democratization of digital tools that promise to optimize the time spent on these tasks, recruitment needs remain high, particularly due to the increasing complexity of projects, the consideration of climate challenges, and new regulations. The Observatory thus projects an annual need for 2.200 new entrants in the Construction sector and 1.260 in Public Works, representing more than 15.000 positions over the next five years. This trend is also observed in companies without dedicated research departments, where more than half of managers (55%) believe they will have to devote more time to research in the coming years.

In 2024, the Construction Industry Skills Observatory identified more than 12.500 graduates of initial training programs who could potentially work in the "design" function. While this is a substantial pool, it is unlikely to be sufficient: the sector is observing a clear preference for candidates with a Bachelor's degree (Bac +3) to a Master's degree (Bac +5), or for internal promotion to compensate for the lack of specialized training (particularly in Public Works) and the increasing technical complexity of construction sites.

The analysis of the training offer highlights a good consideration of developments related to digital and technological transitions, however, with two levers that need strengthening:

• Artificial intelligence: to better support companies in integrating AI tools, which promise to facilitate future studies (see the results of the study by the Construction Industry Observatory in companies in the sector). here).
• The ecological transition: training programs must evolve as measures related to the fight against climate change intensify (use of new materials and construction methods, development of renovation and restructuring, etc.).

Six key recommendations to address the recruitment and training needs identified by the study

The Observatory of Professions formulates six areas of recommendations in conclusion to its study:

• To enhance the attractiveness of these professions in order to address the decline in training enrollments and meet the recruitment needs of companies.
• Anticipating the transfer of skills to meet workforce renewal needs due to retirements.
• Improve the knowledge and use of AI tools within companies, and in particular in "research" functions.
• Create modules or integrate more strongly themes related to the ecological transition, both in initial and continuing training, as well as in the training of trainers.
• To ensure greater operational effectiveness of initial training leading to jobs dedicated to the "studies" function.
• Supporting the development of managers' skills in "research" so that they remain at the forefront.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.